Greenpoint Nurses' Residence: Inside Brooklyn's Abandoned Quarters

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1940s Greenpoint Hospital Campus Tax Photo There is a certain kind of quiet that only abandoned buildings have. Not peaceful, quiet. More like held-breath quiet. The kind that makes you hyper-aware of every footstep, every creak, every shadow shifting at the edge of your vision. I found that quiet on a cloudy afternoon in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, standing outside a chain-link fence and looking up at the old Nurse Quarters of Greenpoint Hospital. I had stumbled onto the building almost by accident. I was deep into researching other vacant structures across the borough when the Nurses' Residence turned up on the blogs. The fact that it sat close to home made the decision easy. One overcast day, I drove slowly down the block on a hunch, scanning the fence line. That is when I spotted it: a gap, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it. No rope. No gear. Just an opening and a window of time between passing cars and foot traffic. I slipped inside. The entrance foyer stopped me cold...

Former Conty's Drive-In (Salt & Pepper Restaurant)





Where the cuisine and customer service were lacking. Yelp reviews.

I came across this sad sight on my way to the nearby Seaside Park for sunset where I learned I needed a permit to enter the park. I made a furious U-turn and pulled alongside the defunct Indian cuisine restaurant. It seemed this halal restaurant did not function very well during its two-year tenure whilst it was opened (around 2009). The property sits at a two-way street intersection in a prime location for park-goers. This property was once slated for a high-rise development but as of now, no action has been taken to proceed to that goal. Currently zoned for office and retail use many hungry travelers pass by unperturbed by its vacant status. Not even the late-night hungry hoards of students at the University of Bridgeport could save it.

Before it was known as Salt & Pepper, this former place of business was originally known as Conty's drive-in. Built in 1961 and family-owned, it served burgers, seafood, and Italian dishes around the 60's and late 80's. The blue pillar festooned with the letter "C" and its unique architectural gull-wing style roof is all that remained of this former eatery. You can see it in its former glory here on Pinterest and also here. (Warning super small and low res.) You can see it in its defunct state with its marquee neon signage on Flickr's verplanck.



Current Status: Demolished


Coordinates:   41°10'0"N   73°11'10"W




Former Conty's Restaurant.









🍔 Did You Eat at Conty's Drive-In?

Did you pull up to Conty's for burgers and shakes back in the day? Do you have photos from when the drive-in was still serving, old menus, matchbooks, or memories of this Connecticut roadside classic? Share your stories below.

Drop a comment below or contact me directly. Full credit given to all contributors.

🍔 More Abandoned Connecticut Locations




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